This just in: New Seahawk John Moffitt is hilarious

RENTON — I would have believed that John Moffitt actually took a year off to join the Peace Corps, as he told reporters during a conference call following his selection by the Seattle Seahawks as the No. 75 pick in the NFL draft on Friday.

The Wisconsin offensive lineman, a 24-year-old, was asked whether he was always one of the older kids in his class. Then he offered the Peace Corps story to explain his age.

Then he had everyone laughing out loud.

“I’m kidding,” Moffitt said. “I didn’t join the Peace Corps. You know what happened, I transferred high schools and I repeated a year in high school. I didn’t want to tell you I’m like Billy Madison.

“The Peace Corps thing sounds so much better, so if you guys want to print that, feel free.”

Yeah, this guy’s going to be fun to cover.

More importantly for the Seahawks, though, is that he fits the mold of the ultra-physical offensive linemen that they’d like to have on their roster. Seattle selected Alabama offensive tackle James Carpenter with the No. 25 overall pick on Thursday, hailing the selection as a display of their commitment to a revamped running game.

That’s Moffitt’s bread and butter. The Badgers are a traditional power running team, and Moffitt said he was proud that the Seahawks want him to bring a similar brand of physicality to their line.

“We believe in running the football,” Moffitt said. “Same kind of thing. We play physical football. Run first, throw second is kind of our mentality. That’s kind of how I’ve learned to play. I’m a bigger offensive lineman, around 320 pounds, and my strengths are definitely in the run game.”